Moments Of Recognition
by js2801
Summary: "Dance with me," He said extending his hand towards her. This fic is about Hermione's realization of a very important truth of her life. Read and REVIEW.


**Author's Note****: - Apologizing in advance for spelling and grammar mistakes.**

**Disclaimer****: - I do not own Harry Potter and anyone or anything related. I have taken few lines and scenes from Deathly Hallows book owned by JK and movie owned by Warner Bros.**

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**Moments of Recognition**

She didn't know for how many days she cried. Days were long and tiring. They had not eaten a single proper meal for weeks. Weather was getting colder, doing nothing to soothe the despair burning inside her. She wasn't even sure if her heart was intact anymore.

Ron had left them. Just left them, without giving a single thought to how they would feel about it, how much it would hurt them. No, instead he had to act like a petulant child because things were not going the way he wanted. They were best friends. They had promised each other to stand together, and to help and support each other during turbulent times. But he forgot everything in the bout of his selfishness. Could things ever go back to the way they were before they started their mission? Maybe not, and perhaps it would be forgiven, but never be forgotten and would poison some part of their souls forever.

Hermione raised her eyes to see her other best friend sitting in a chair in front of her. He was tapping the magical radio with his wand, trying to repair it. Ron had broken the radio in the fit of his anger, before storming out of the tent.

Hermione took her time studying her best friend of more than six years. He looked and felt so different from the first time she had seen him on the Hogwarts Express. That was a very different lifetime when they were just innocent kids, looking forward to see a magical world. Then their innocence faded away with time. And now here they were trying to survive on a cold dreary day with no contact with the outside world, while trying to figure out how to save the world.

Hermione was so involved in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Harry stood up from his chair and walked towards her, nor did she notice the sound of soft music coming from the radio.

She jerked out of her thoughts when Harry tapped on her shoulder. She looked up and was startled to see Harry standing so close.

"When did you walk here?" She blurted out.

Harry smirked at her. "When you were busy daydreaming about R…" Harry immediately stopped realizing his mistake. Awkward silence fell between them. Hermione knew what he was about to say. Her heart broke down once again. She wished Ron were here with them. He would have cracked some joke or would have made a sarcastic remark and things would have gone back to normal. But he wasn't here with them and she didn't know how to break the excruciating silence between them. Finally, Harry took the initiative.

"Dance with me," He said extending his hand towards her.

Hermione looked at him oddly. "You wanna dance?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Right now I don't have anything else to do." He replied with a shrug and a lopsided smile.

"Okay," She said laughing. She stood up taking Harry's hand.

Harry pulled her in his arms and they started swaying on the soft music coming from the radio.

"Ouch!" Hermione cried. Harry had stepped on the toes.

"Oh sorry," Harry said anxiously. Hermione forgot her pain as she stared at Harry. His cheeks were tinged with red and he was looking at her with a sheepish smile. She knew this was the real Harry. He was awkward, clumsy, and he wasn't very fond of dancing. However, he did this for her, to make her feel better, and surprisingly it worked.

Hermione could feel it as a grin appeared on her face. "Oh Harry," She said laughing and Harry laughed with her.

"Thank you so much," She said cupping his cheek. She needed this laugh to feel that she was still alive.

They both stood there staring at each other. Hermione realized with a jolt that she couldn't look away from him. His green eyes were deep and captivating, like a bottomless ocean. She liked Ron's sky blue eyes, but she had never felt like this, the way she was feeling looking into Harry's eyes. Harry was looking at her penetratingly, as if he was piercing her heart and soul just with his eyes.

Suddenly, Harry leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Time had stopped moving. It was timeless moment for them, defying all the logics and rules of _their_ universe.

Hermione pulled back realizing what just happened. They simply looked at each other. Harry looked surprised with his own daring deed. Without saying a word, he walked out of the tent and Hermione sat down on her bed. She didn't know what happened and why it happened, but it didn't feel wrong.

They never talked about what happened as if it never happened.

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Life moved on. Visit to the Godric's Hollow almost cost her Harry's life, shaking her to the core.

Then Ron came back and apologized. Things were forgiven and everything was back to _normal_. Something was different nevertheless. Perhaps meaning of the friendship had changed.

Ron had become more patient, more attentive…more matured. Not that it was unexpected. Since he had come back, he was trying everything possible to please Hermione, to get back in her good books, but Hermione was hardly paying attention. She was just happy to have a calm atmosphere in the tent.

And Harry…Well he had become distant. His eyes had changed. They were not the eyes of a best friend that Hermione had known for almost seven years. No, his eyes were darker, brighter, and lovelier. They never talked much, but she could always feel his eyes following her every movement and she liked the feeling of it. But wasn't she _supposed _to feel that way about Ron.

Hermione looked around her. There was so much destruction. Once known to be a magnificent Great Hall was now turned down into rubbles. People looked worn out, their heart and souls tired of the war and devastation. She looked down at her redhead best friend sitting next to his severely injured brother.

Fred Weasley was hit by an unknown dark curse, which blasted his legs. They had tried everything to reduce his pain and stabilize his condition but still nobody was sure what would happen.

Suddenly Hermione realized that Harry was nowhere to be seen. She asked Ron but he remained quiet unable to speak anything. She was scared, what if he had gone to the forest on his own. Hermione didn't know how she would survive if Harry died. She rushed back out of the hall to find him, but she couldn't find him. Castle was empty and there was an eerie feeling to it. Her mind started to spin. She was finding it difficult to breathe. She fell on her knees as tears filled her eyes.

_Come back Harry, _her heart wished.

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"Harry Potter is dead by my hand. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself. We bring you his body as evidence that your champion is gone. There's no man alive that can threaten me now." Voldemort said in a magically magnified voice, gesturing towards Hagrid who was holding Harry's unmoving body in his arms.

Hermione felt as though if life had been sucked out of her. Her whole world had crashed down.

_No...No…No…This couldn't be happening. Harry can't die. He can't leave me alone. It must be some kind of a joke. Why Harry is not moving? Surely, he knows that he has to live. He knows it would kill me to see him dead… Is he really gone?_

Tears fell and a scream ripped from her throat, unimaginable pain tearing through her heart and soul. She blinked, and for a moment, everything had gone black.

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Tom Riddle's body hit the floor. He was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse and Harry stood with two wands in his hand staring down at his enemy's shell.

Cries and cheers filled the air and Sun shone brightly filling the Great Hall with a radiant white light. Ron and Hermione were the first to reach Harry. They cling to him as if he'd disappear again. Harry hugged them back with everything he had.

Hermione had never felt so alive in her life before. Her insides were bursting with life. Looking at Harry, a feeling of tranquillity washed over her. Everyone was congratulating them. Whole atmosphere was euphoric.

Hermione felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. She raised her head to see her redhead best friend, the boy she was supposed to be in love with, smiling down at her. Looking into his eyes, she knew what he expected. However, was she ready to give him that?

Hermione smiled back in return and turned her face towards Harry who was still surrounded by others trying to congratulate him. She saw Ginny making her way towards Harry. She knew that was perhaps the decisive moment.

They were talking in a friendly manner. Hermione saw Ginny touching Harry's hand and leaning towards him. Harry looked troubled and fidgeted nervously. All of a sudden, he looked up straight into Hermione's eyes with a tender look in his eyes, baring his soul in front of her and then quickly looked away.

However, Hermione felt as though if time in her universe had stopped moving. Everything else around her was moving in a blur. Only person she could see was Harry, her whole existence focused on him. She knew he felt the same when he looked at her.

_But what about Ron and Ginny? _A voice spoke in her mind.

Hermione looked at Ron who looked happy and relieved. He was also looking at Harry and Ginny with a curious look on his face. She knew he wanted them to be together so that they could be a one big family and always stay together.

Hermione knew that she and Harry didn't want to hurt their friends. Perhaps one day they would overcome their feelings and everyone would be happy again.

She chuckled at the irony of their situation. They were supposed to fall in love with other people; instead, they fell for each other. Perhaps it would always be like that for the rest of their lives, they would always have to fight their feelings.

Harry looked at her once again and then his eyes shifted to Ron for a fleeting second. At that moment, he gave her a sad smile (as if he was giving up) and turned back to Ginny. However, Hermione didn't like that sad smile on his face. She wanted him to smile the way he did when they danced together.

She knew _it_ was for the best. In the long run, it was a better decision for everyone. She didn't want to hurt Ron or Ginny, and for them, and for her and Harry, she had to do it.

Hermione looked at Ron. "I am sorry Ron." She said in a soft voice.

"Huh?" Ron muttered looking down at Hermione. On his face, there was the confusion, then there was a realization…realization of the truth, and then he dropped his hand from her shoulder. He smiled at her sadly and nodded, and she knew that sadness would not last for long. He'll learn to be happy again.

She started walking towards Harry who was still talking to Ginny. Ginny didn't look too happy, but was listening raptly to what Harry was saying.

The moment Ginny left Hermione tapped on Harry's shoulder and he turned around.

For just this one moment Hermione didn't care what others would think or feel. She just wanted to see him smile again, that awkward clumsy lopsided smile of his.

"Hermione," He said looking surprised and curious.

"Wanna dance with me?" She asked her eyes twinkling. She extended her hand towards him just the way he did when they were in the tent.

First he looked confused _not getting_ what she meant, then he looked surprised _understanding_ what she meant, and then he _grinned_ at her taking her hand and entwining their fingers.

"Yes, together forever," He replied his voice filled with incredible happiness, as he pulled her in his embrace. They just stood there staring at each other and grinning, unaware of the world around them.

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**Author's Note****: - So what do you think? In case anybody wants to know Twins are one of my favourites in the book, and I didn't want to kill Fred in this fic. So I changed the equation a bit.**

**Those who are reading my other fic 'Story of a girl called Hermione Granger', I have updated it and have completed. **

**Looking forward to hear about what you think of this fic. Make my day with your reviews.**

**Thank You.**


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